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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23118760">A Wilder Yearning</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Adam (2009), Charlie Countryman (2013)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Feels, Loneliness, M/M, Nice drunk Nigel, Turned into a raccoon cause magic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 05:47:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,502</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23118760</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Adam turns into a raccoon when he's sad. What he wishes is that he was inside his apartment when he did it, not locked outside. Thank goodness a tall handsome man came to save him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nigel (Charlie Countryman)/Adam Raki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>170</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Adam was tired. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He wished he had decided to turn into a raccoon at a more considerate time. Instead, he was locked out of his apartment and he couldn’t figure out how to get back in. Scratching at his door, on the edge of a panic attack, he heard loud footsteps coming up the stairs behind him. He was terrified that it was going to be Beth. What if she somehow figured out that Adam was the raccoon, and did something horrible to him? He tried to hide.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Blending in with the door jamb wasn’t working. The footsteps got louder and louder until they eventually stopped near him. Adam hid his face in his hands and stayed as still as possible, hoping the person wouldn’t notice him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, did you get locked out, kitty?” A deep voice washed over him, and he could tell that the person had kneeled beside him. Adam tried to squeeze himself closer to the door. “Don’t be scared. I won’t hurt you, beautiful.” Something touched Adam’s furry back. He tried to let out a yell, to tell the stranger not to touch him, but it came out as more of an annoyed chirp. The man petted him with his large hand before he stood up and knocked on the door. The knock was louder than Adam thought necessary. “Hm. Must not be home.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam turned around just enough to look up at the stranger. The man looked larger than life, and he was very drunk. He was leaning heavily against the door, and Adam couldn’t escape the thick smell of alcohol emanating from him. The man knelt beside Adam again and held out his hand. Adam stared at it cluelessly for a second before he realized the man was trying to encourage Adam to come to him. Adam let out another chirping noise, trying to vent his frustration. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>No, he wasn’t going to go to him. Because he wasn’t actually a raccoon. He was a grown man trying to get into his apartment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Pst...c’mere, kitty kitty. It’s okay. I’ll just take you to my place until your owner gets home.” Adam narrowed his eyes and considered the offer. This </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> a good way to not be trapped outside of his apartment, vulnerable until he turned back into a human. But the man was drunk... His only other option was trying to get Beth to help him, but after their breakup, he knew she wouldn’t even help Adam in his human form, let alone as a raccoon. He needed to make a decision, before his anxiety overwhelmed him further.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam looked the man over again before he sighed to himself. It seemed like this was his only option. He walked over to the stranger and sniffed at his hand curiously. He smelled nice, but the strong smell of alcohol was almost overpowering. The man reached slowly to pick him up, and Adam reluctantly let him. Hopefully, he would turn back into a human by the morning. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The man held him close to his chest and walked down the hallway. Adam felt himself start to relax from the warmth and his close proximity to the man’s natural scent underneath the layer of alcohol. He smelled comforting. Adam rested his head against the stranger’s chest, feeling increasingly drowsy as his tension released. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>~~~</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When he woke up, Adam was laying on something soft and warm. He cuddled up to it, too tired to wakefully. Breaking up with Beth had been exhausting. Their fight had gone on and on. And Adam really had to hurry up and turn back into a human so he could go to his job in California. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He snuggled further into the warmth, letting his little raccoon hands dig into what felt like the softness of a shirt. He startled suddenly when he realized the large, soft, warm thing he was sleeping on was actually the man that had rescued him earlier. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The man was clutching Adam close to his chest like a child would hold a teddy bear. It took Adam a minute to wiggle out of his arms. The man was attractive, although he was passed out and had a trail of drool down the side of his face. Adam dragged over a blanket from the far end of the couch and tucked it around the man before he set out to explore the apartment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It had the same basic layout of his apartment, so he was still in his building. How had they never met before? Adam moved around the room. It was nice, although the apartment was relatively empty. Maybe the man had just moved in? Adam was distracted from his thoughts when his stomach grumbled loudly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam made his way over to the trash can and stared at it. Even though he was currently a raccoon, his human sensibilities refused to stoop to this level. But he was really hungry. He heard movement behind him and ran behind the trash can. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, little buddy, no need to be scared.” Adam peeked out from behind the trash can and saw the man standing in the doorway. He was larger than Adam remembered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can just hear Darko now - ‘Nigel, you got a fucking pet? You can barely even fucking take care of yourself!” The stranger chuckled darkly to himself and walked over to the kitchen. “I have…..meat? Cats like meat, right?. Or maybe some leftover mac and cheese that Darko brought me…” The man started digging around in the fridge. Adam slowly walked over to him, drawn in by the possibility of mac and cheese. It wouldn’t be as good as his own, but it would be something similar to human food. He couldn’t imagine eating meat right now, feeling nauseous even considering it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, you want the mac and cheese? I don’t like the shit but you seem too.” He opened the container and placed it in front of Adam. Nigel sat on the floor, laughing softly to himself as he watched Adam dig into the mac and cheese with his paws. “You really like it, huh. You look cute when you eat, little guy.” Nigel petted his head, and Adam allowed it, for the moment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When he finished eating he regretted using his hands, because now they were filthy. He made a small noise to express his discomfort. Nigel stood up, walked over to the sink and came back with a damp cloth. He wiped Adam’s little face and paws until he was clean. Adam stared up at him curiously. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright buddy, let’s go try your apartment again.” Adam wished he could tell him that nobody was going to answer because the owner of the apartment was standing in Nigel’s kitchen with tiny paws instead of hands. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nigel knelt down to pick him up and held him carefully. He was surprisingly gentle with Adam like he was carrying something precious. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“They must be missing their cat…” He was also surprisingly clueless for a grown man. Not knowing he had a raccoon in his house instead of a cat…. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nigel meets Beth, Adam meets Beverly.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nigel stood outside Adam’s apartment. Adam clung to Nigel’s shirt with his tiny hands, nervous that the man would drop him. Nigel knocked loud and long on the door, causing Adam to let out an agitated noise and try to get away from him. Nigel put him down gently, and turned his attention back to kicking the door and cussing. Adam rubbed his hands together nervously as he watched, scared that somebody else would show up with all the noise. </p><p>His worries were well-founded when a woman’s voice said something behind them. Adam could barely hear it over all the noise Nigel was making as he banged on the door. </p><p>“What are you doing?” The voice was surprisingly loud and Adam felt his blood run cold. It was Beth. He looked up at her and wished he had somewhere to hide. Nigel bent down to pick him up and Adam instinctively clung tightly to his shirt. </p><p>“I found this cat outside. I’m just fucking trying to return him. You fucking scared him.” Nigel was petting down his back, which really shouldn’t be as soothing as it was. </p><p>“That’s….” Beth’s voice was a little high pitched. Nigel was cradling Adam close to him and Adam could feel the tension increasing in Nigel’s body. </p><p>“Do you live here or something? Is this your cat? I thought the pretty boy with the lips lived here.” Nigel sounded agitated, and Adam was actually glad for the first time he was in the raccoon body so he didn’t have to acknowledge the compliment. </p><p>“Adam lives here. I was coming to see him.” Beth crossed her arms and glared up at Nigel. Adam frowned to himself. Why would Beth be coming over to see him...</p><p>“I found his cat the other day. He hasn’t been home since I found him. So maybe get fucking lost.” Nigel moved to step around her. Beth was trying to say something, but Nigel seemed determined to ignore her. </p><p>“Stupid bitch. Clingy, she’s probably the reason why your owner hasn’t been home. I’d be avoiding her as well. Let’s go get you something to eat.” Nigel unlocked his door easily with one hand. “I’m sure he’ll come home soon though. I’ve never seen the kid gone for more than a day.” Nigel put Adam down and walked over to the fridge. “I don’t know if I have anything you’d want…..we could go to the store. You’re allowed to bring animals into stores in America, right?” </p><p>Adam wanted to tell him no, you are only allowed to take service animals in. And no way would anybody believe that this raccoon was a service animal. But he also wanted to be able to pick out his own food. Nigel leaned down to pick him up again, Adam easily getting used to being held. He reminded himself that it was just a survival instinct, Nigel was taking care of him. Although a small voice deeper in his subconscious was quick to helpfully point out that the man was tall and smelled good, too. </p><p>When Nigel’s phone rang, he had to jostle Adam around a bit to get the phone to his ear. He talked loudly as he walked down the hallway. Adam tried to relax and not worry about falling out of his arms, helped by the soothing timbre of Nigel’s voice. He wasn’t speaking English, and his accent was nice. Adam couldn’t figure out why he had never noticed Nigel before, because obviously Nigel had noticed him.<br/>
~~~</p><p>“So, darling. Mac and cheese?” Nigel was talking to the cat held comfortably in his arms, not noticing the people who were staring at him. One of the store employees was staring at him from a distance but seemed to think better of walking up to the tattooed guy with a cigarette in his mouth, holding a raccoon as if it was a baby. </p><p>Nigel held up one of the boxes to Adam, who wrinkled his nose and turned his head away. </p><p>“Alright darling we’ll find you one you like…” Nigel spent over an hour in the store holding up box after box that Adam rejected. By the time they moved to the freezer section, Adam was afraid it wouldn’t be much longer until he tested the limits of Nigel’s patience. </p><p>But Nigel continued to stay calm, easily showing him each mac and cheese and looking at him for confirmation or refusal. Adam couldn’t help but wonder if Nigel had ever been around an animal before. Is this how people normally treated their pets? Nigel was ...affectionate. And Adam was oddly comfortable with that. </p><p>Adam perked up when he saw the Amy’s brand he had been waiting for, his eyes trained on it behind the glass door. Nigel let out a laugh, opening the door. </p><p>“This one, darling? We’ll get this, and I’ll grab some beer. I wonder how angry your owner is going to be when he finds out I’ve been feeding you all this trash.” Adam sniffed, slightly offended. Amy’s mac and cheese was the best. It wasn’t trash. </p><p>Walking up to the register, Nigel juggled a few boxes of Amy’s and a six-pack of beer in one hand. Holding Adam in the other one, Nigel leveled his eyes on the cashier who looked like she was fighting the urge to laugh at him. Her name tag read ‘Beverly’.</p><p>“Rough day?” She asked, with a smirk. Nigel pulled out his wallet, cradling Adam very carefully so that he wouldn’t fall. </p><p>“Not when I see your face, beautiful.” Nigel was smiling at her, and Adam couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed. Apparently Nigel was just a flirt. Calling Adam gorgeous earlier didn’t mean anything. </p><p>“Uh-huh. You know you look like you smoked some of the good stuff before you came in, right?” Beverly put his items in a bag, and Nigel handed her a twenty. “Maybe you should get a bag for him or something if you’re going to be carrying him around. People get weird about raccoons.” </p><p>“...Raccoons?” Nigel really had no idea what she was talking about. </p><p>“Yeah…” Beverly raised her eyebrows before handing his change back. “Go home and google it. Or ask the poor neighbor you are stalking to google it. I'm sure he would know how.” Nigel laughed and put his wallet away. Adam wondered which neighbor Nigel had been stalking? There are a few men who live on their floor. </p><p>“He hasn’t been home in a few days. This is his fucking cat.” </p><p>Beverly laughed louder this time, and the person behind them huffed impatiently. She smiled easily at the other customer before returning her attention to Nigel.  </p><p>“No wonder you are carrying that weird animal around. You should really just talk to him. Go on, get out of here. You are holding my line up, like always.” Nigel shook his head, mumbling something under his breath that Adam couldn’t hear. </p><p>Nigel walked out of the store, keeping a firm grip on Adam. </p><p>“Raccoon is probably some fucking type of cat, right? Americans always name their cats weird things. I’m just glad you’re not a fucking naked one. Those things freak me the fuck out.” Nigel walked them home, quietly chatting to Adam the whole time. Adam wondered if the man was lonely or crazy.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading!! This fic has been such a stress relief to write!</p><p>betaed by vinylmurdersuit &lt;33</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Nigel spent the rest of his day on the couch. Adam curled up beside him and enjoyed the feeling of being close to somebody for a little while. Nigel was warm, and he smelled nice for the most part. Nigel smoked throughout the day, and sometimes took phonecalls and yelled at people. They didn’t sound like nice people though, or very good at the job that Nigel was yelling at them about. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam found himself falling asleep to the sound of Nigel’s voice. He couldn’t help himself, he hadn’t felt relaxed like he was around Nigel in years. He wished he was human so he could talk back to him. He was sure that Nigel was a great listener. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He woke up a few hours later, and Nigel was gone. It took Adam a few minutes to figure out he was human, just basking in the warmth that he felt on Nigel’s couch. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh…” Adam looked down, panicked at his own naked body. He didn’t expect to turn back into a human so fast, usually, he would stay as a raccoon until he got over what had upset him. But, he hadn’t thought of Beth since he’s been with Nigel. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam stood up and looked around the room, concerned he was going to come face to face with an angry Nigel. He seemed to be gone. Adam dug through Nigel’s room until he came out with a big shirt to wear and some shorts. He would have to get an extra key from the front desk, but at least he could do it with some clothes on. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam stood at Nigel’s door on his way out, wondered if he should leave a not or something. It’s not like Nigel knew who he was housing. Adam decided against it and instead headed downstairs. A few people stopped and gave him a weird look as he walked shoeless through the hallway, but he barely noticed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was just happy to be human again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>~~~ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nigel came home a few hours later, tired. He started to feel too old for his job. His back ached, but he knew that he would have to feed the cat before he could lay down. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey buddy, I’m home!” Nigel called out as he threw his shoes off at the door. As he walked into the living room, he looked around concerned when he didn’t notice the cat. He called out for him again, before a small stab of panic hit him. “Fuck.” Nigel started to tear up the house, but the cat was nowhere to be found. Laid on the floor, his couch flipped over Nigel sighed, and put his head in his hands. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Great, Hey sorry I stole your cat while you were gone and now he’s gone.  Hope you don’t hate me gorgeous.” Nigel sighed and stood up. He had somebody talk to, and the faster he got this over with the faster he could drown him in the nearest bottle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>~~ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Adam had just got out of the shower and into his clothes. His apartment was just the same as he had left it, and he wished for a second that it looked more lived-in like Nigel’s apartment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was just about to figure something out for dinner, the chicken was out of date, but he was sure the mac and cheese would be fine. Somebody knocked loudly on the door while he had this thought. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The only person who has come to see him in months had been Beth. And she didn’t knock like that...Adam walked over to the door and peeked through the peephole. Stood on the other side of the door was Nigel. He had his hands in his pockets and stared down at the floor. Adam frowned as he opened the door, the stress in his veins. He hadn’t planned on dealing with Nigel at this time. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! I …” The man stared at Adam with a strange expression on his face that Adam didn’t fully understand. “Your back!” Nigel smiled at Adam, showed all his teeth. He sort of looked like a shark, talking to him face to face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I got back an hour ago.” Adam felt weird because he knew Nigel. He wanted to thank him for taking care of him. But he was nervous to explain to Nigel that the raccoon Nigel had been carrying around the past few days had been him. “Do you want to come in for some tea?” Nigel smiled at him, his eyes light. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I would love to beautiful.” Nigel followed him inside. He had a nervous look in his eyes, and he sat on Adams’s couch. Adam took a few minutes to make them tea and came backhanding Nigel a cup. “I ...have something to tell you.” Adam tried to smile and took a sip of his tea. He couldn’t imagine what Nigel had come over here to tell him. “I found your fucking cat outside, and when I left for work last night he got out.” Nigel looked down when he said it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t have a cat?” Adam’s voice is confused, his brain tried to wrap around what he was going to tell him. The fact that the raccoon was him, or the fact that the only reason Adam was human right now was that Nigel didn’t make him feel less alone. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck really?” Nigel sat back on the couch, looked more relaxed at the news he hadn’t lost Adam’s ‘cat’. “Well gorgeous, I found an easy excuse to come in here and see your beautiful face didn’t I?” Nigel smirked at him, his eyes looked Adam up and down suggestively. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You should drink your tea.” Adam gestured to it but smiled as he drank his. He should tell Nigel, but. His company was so nice. Maybe keeping quiet on this for a while wouldn’t hurt anything. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nigel took a sip of his tea, but his eyes never left Adam’s face like he was drinking him in with his tea. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>~~~ </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a few hours of them talking, Nigel had to go home. It was past Adam’s bedtime, and even though he was filled with anxiety at that thought. He got to talk to Nigel and found he liked him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nigel promised to stop by and see him the next day, which Adam was excited about.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He would tell him about the raccoon thing eventually, it would work out fine. He went to sleep, his schedule thrown off. He had forgotten to eat, but his stomach felt full of nerves at the thought of Nigel.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn’t wait to see him the next day. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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